Roslyn Harbor residents must now screen certain outdoor equipment on their property that they install or replace due to a law passed in the village last night.
Pool equipment as well as external heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical panels must all be screened under the legislation.
The requirements are intended to limit the noise and visibility of the equipment, according to the law, an amendment to the zoning chapter of the village code, which the board of trustees passed unanimously.
It only applies to equipment installed or replaced after Jan. 1 of this year. The building inspector is to determine how much screening is necessary on a case-by-case basis.
No village residents attended the public hearing that preceded the vote.
Deputy Mayor Sandy Quentzel initiated discussion about the amendment at the board of trustees’ November meeting when she said she had learned that other villages have such requirements.
The board will hold public hearings on two laws at its March meeting – one that regulates the amount of hardscape, meaning landscaping that uses hard materials, residents can have on their property and another that regulates the use of storage containers and dumpsters.
The law regulating paving would determine not only a maximum percentage of hardscape allowed on the entire property but a limit specifically for the front lawn.
The board has yet to determine what percentage that would be for the front lawn but was in agreement that it should differ depending on the size of the property.
“The concern was there’s one property in particular that they basically paved the whole front yard, and it’s not something that people are happy about it,” said Mayor Louis Badolato. “We want our village to have a nice curb appeal, so we want our front yards to be lawns.”
The law also intends to redefine hardscape so residents cannot use an impervious surface for a driveway, such as gravel, to skirt hardscape limits.
“Basically what we’re doing is we’re saying if you’re really using it as a driveway, it’s a driveway,” Badolato said. “If it’s using gravel or pavers or what have you, it’s not grass, it’s a driveway.”
The law regulating storage containers and dumpsters, as currently drafted, would require residents to obtain a village-issued permit to use such materials on their property.
It regulates the size of storage containers and dumpsters and limits their use to 30-days. It would only allow residents to have one such container on their property at a time.
The law would give the village authority to require screening if it chooses.
The one change that the board made Tuesday was that it eliminated color requirements for the storage containers.
